First Day of My Life
by heytherexxsmile
Summary: Tori had no choice; she owed it to Jade. She knew she had to save her. But Tori never fathomed that Jade would save her, too. A Jori fic.
1. One

"Toooooooriiiiiiiii," my sister's voice sing-songed, obnoxious and loud enough to pierce through the chatter filled halls of Hollywood Arts. I finished throwing my books into my locker, shut the personally-decorated door, and turned to see Trina bounding toward me; the dopey, eager smile on her face grew with each step, and I swung one strap of my backpack over my shoulder.

"Tori," she repeated as she stopped in front of me, this time without the ridiculous pronunciation.

"Trina," I mimicked, already frustrated with the conversation. Trina had a tendency to describe any and all information-as long as it pertained to herself-as if it were a breaking news report.

"Guess who's getting sushi with the Senior Photography Club?" She let out a squeal of excitement and started bouncing up and down, eliciting dirty looks from a couple of innocent bystanders across the hall.

"The Senior Photo Club asked _you_ to hang out with them?" The club was the most prestigious of all after school activities at Hollywood Arts; all of the members were stupid gorgeous, insanely artistic and deep, and notoriously picky about who they interacted with.

"Well," she took a deep breath after almost asphyxiating herself from the moronic jumping, "I mean, I was there when they were talking about it, and they totally saw me there, so like, it was a context invite." My older sister had a tendency to be socially inept, often finding herself in situations where her presence was irrefutably unwanted. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, knowing trying to talk any sense into her was useless. "Anyway, you're going to need to find a ride home."

My arm shot down to my side and my head whipped forward, suddenly overcome with irritation.

"Trina, you drove us to school today," I said angrily, shaking my hands in front of her face with each enunciation. "You can't just tell me last minute to find another ride; the day's already over!"

"Not my problem!" She was so unreasonable sometimes, and before I could even argue the absurdity of the situation, Trina had turned and disappeared up the stairs and around the corner, leaving me dumbfounded and screwed. I let out a frustrated grunt then quickly headed towards the parking lot, desperate to not be stranded at school. The brilliant Los Angeles sun temporarily shielded my vision, but I quickly recognized that back of Beck and Robbie's heads and trudged toward them, relieved.

"Hey," I uttered, catching the attention of the two boys. They both turned toward me, and Beck pushed his long, dark hair back, offering me a familiar smile. "Hey, Tori. What's up?"

"Trina just totally abandoned me last minute," I said, the annoyance in my voice incredibly evident. "And I hate to ask, but is there any way you could give me a ride home?" I offered a shrug and an apologetic smile, hoping he understood that I wouldn't burden him if I had any other option.

"Ah, sorry, Tori." Beck frowned down at me and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I have rehearsal for Saturday's play until six." I let out a worried groan then turned to the other boy, my hands raised in a pleading position.

"Robbie?" I asked, utilizing my absolute best puppy dog eyes. The lanky, curly-haired boy adjusted the puppet on his arm and directed it toward me.

"Sorry, hot stuff," the Urban voice of the puppet, Rex, fell upon my ears. "Rob and I are catching a ride with Sinjin back to his place to work on that Chemistry project."

"Shiz!" I exclaimed, "I'm so screwed." I tangled my fingers through her hair in frustration, letting out another groan and cursing Trina under my breath.

"You could always ask..." Beck cleared his throat, and I looked up hopefully, glancing in the direction he was pointing.

"Jade," I muttered. She was hard to miss, sporting black jeans and a navy top, pursing her lips together angrily, and allowing her dark, loose curls to bounce freely as she marched across the parking lot.

"Thanks, guys. See you tomorrow," I barely managed to get out as I quickly headed after the innately negative girl. My heart was pounding by the time I actually got in ear shot, nervous for her inevitably negative response.

"Jade!" I called out pleadingly.

She stiffened momentarily, turned with a scowl to see who the hell was hollering after her, took one look at me then deadpanned, "No."

She turned back just as quickly as she'd dismissed me, continuing her path to her car. It was no secret that Jade wasn't exactly my biggest fan. Heck, she'd pretty much done everything in her power to make my life miserable since I became a student at Hollywood Arts. Lately, though, the girl seemed to be in an even darker place than usual; the month-old break up with Beck, her boyfriend of two years, really seemed to take a huge piece out of Jade. The piece that allowed her any sort of compassion.

"You didn't even wait to hear what I was going to ask!" I called after her desperately, trying to stay close on her trail. She stopped again to turn towards me, this time cocking and eyebrow and offering me an amused smirk.

"Okay, what do you have to ask?" She spat out bitterly, letting me know my question was irrelevant. I had no other options, though, so I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to look as apologetic as possible.

"Do you think you could give me a ride home? Trina totally left me-"

"No," she repeated in the same fashion as before, cutting me off and pulling the sunglasses that had been resting on her head down over her eyes. Her smirk grew into a sardonic smile, her way of telling me this was amusing for her.

"Jade, come on! I wouldn't ask you if you weren't my absolute last resort, but if you don't give me a ride, I'll have to walk! My house is twelve miles from here, Jade. TWELVE," I tried to reason with her, hoping that her logical or rational side would kick in and force her to grant me this small wish.

"Oh, well in that case..." she said in a falsely sincere tone, as if she were actually considering my point, then proceeded to pull down her glasses so I could see her eyes, "enjoy your stroll."

She offered a condescending wink and turned her back on me a second time. The worry of seeming pathetic long gone from my brain, I trudged after her, refusing to take no for an answer.

"Come on, Jade! Remember all the times I've helped you out?"

"Actually, Tori," Jade uttered, her voice dripping with contempt as she spoke my name, "I don't. I try to suppress all memory of interacting with you." I let that slide, knowing sticking up for myself would've gotten me absolutely nowhere. She'd reached her car by then, and fiddled with her keys to unlock the door.

"Please, Jade?" I asked once more, totally defeated. "Have a heart for once." She scowled at me, through her sunglasses and across her vehicle, then let out a loud, exasperated groan.

"Fine," she spat, "but don't talk to me. I already have a bad enough headache and I don't need your retarded, Southern drawl making it any worse." I bit my tongue, fighting the urge to defend myself once more, then sunk into the front seat of her car, quickly shutting the door and clicking the seat belt. I watched Jade as she plopped down, immediately turning on the ignition. She raised her music to an uncomfortably loud volume, most likely to drown out the sound of my breathing, clutched the steering wheel, knuckles white, and finally led us away from school.

I did my best to remain invisible and silent, doing whatever it took to avoid warranting another out lash, but I couldn't stop myself from stealing a few glances at Jade to ensure she wasn't about to drive us into a brick wall. The fourth time I looked, her hand shot out to turn the music down to a drastically lower volume.

"What?" Her voice was pushing infuriated, and it caused me to cower in my chair a bit. The tension in the car was excruciatingly thick, and I couldn't help but just silently pray the ride would be over soon.

"Nothing," I mumbled, feeling a little ridiculous for letting another teenager intimidate me so much. "My turn is coming up on the right."

Her head turned towards me instantly. "Do you think I'm a moron, Vega?" she hissed in disbelief. "I _know_ where your house is. I've driven your sorry ass home before."

That finally crossed my line, and as the anger swelled up inside me, I knew there was no way I wasn't going to be able to let it out now. I took a deep breath and prepared to give Jade West a piece of my mind, but as I whipped my head towards hers, a red flash flooded my peripherals. I immediately turned back, instinctively, and my vision was suddenly flooded with the color.

"Jade, look out!" My screaming voice sounded foreign.

And then nothing.


	2. Two

White.

It was overwhelming when I first came to; the blinding light above, the colorless walls and sheets and counters around me all swarmed together as my lids first struggled to part, the disorientation leaving me frightened and confused.

"Tori!" It was my mother's voice-I would recognize that worried tone anywhere-that first greeted me, but the fuzziness was still looming over my senses. "Oh, Tori," my mother sobbed, then leaned over to kiss my forehead, "my sweet, brave girl."

"Mom?" I managed to croak out. I still wasn't fully lucid, but I'd suddenly became painfully aware of my pounding head.

"Shh, yes, sweet girl, I'm right here." She gently rubbed my hair back and kissed my forehead, doing her best to calm me and make me feel safe.

"What's going on?" I asked in an incredibly childlike manner, rubbing my eyes then peering through the bright light and up at the worried face of my mom. Her eyebrows drew together, making her look older than she actually was; she'd looked like she hadn't slept in days, and I couldn't manage to piece together why.

"You're in the hospital, Tori." The hospital? I took my eyes off my mother then glanced down at myself, noting the pale blue hospital gown, the plastic band with my name and birthdate around my wrist, and the IV poking out of my arm.

"Am I okay?"

It was a legitimate question, considering I'd never woken up in a hospital bed with no memory of what sent me there. I raised my hands to examine them, then started slowing tracing my entire body with my eyes, trying to conclude exactly which part of my body needed medical attention. Then the hammer hitting my skull smacked me right on the temple, and I let out a pained groan.

"You will be, honey," my mother said comfortingly, her hand still brushing through my long, curly hair. "You were in a bad car accident."

And suddenly it all came flooding back: the flash of red, my flooded vision, the strange scream that escaped my lips, _Jade_.

"Jade," I stated simply, innocently, but I looked up to my mom with questioning eyes. The older woman gave me a sad smile, then nodded across the room, directly to right of my bed. I sat myself up, my entire, sore body screaming at me as I did so, so I could look in the direction my mom pointed.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw her; she was hooked up to way more machines than I was, her right eye black and her left bicep was wrapped in a bandage, soaked through with the distinct crimson red of blood. Jade, the hard, rough girl-the girl who got off on torturing me, on making me feel like an idiot-was laying across from me, more fragile and broken and vulnerable than I ever though Jade West could possibly be. I reached a hand out in her direction, but we were yards away. I turned back toward my mother, slowly, and only after I'd fully taken in Jade's broken body, and asked another question with my eyes.

"She'll be okay, Tori." My mom squeezed my hand, the only means of comforting me she had, "but she's got a long road ahead of her."

I peeked back over at her, and suddenly felt ridiculous for even being in a hospital bed next to her. I was clean, I was free of tubes and masks and chords, just one IV pumping in fluids, and she was dirty and mangled and broken.

"Where's her mom?"

I don't take my eyes off Jade, but I hear my own mom let out a sigh-one of her tell tale signs that she's disappointed.

"She was here at first." Her voice was calm, probably if only not to upset me anymore, but I could pick apart the disdain in her tone. "We were all called when you were being taken to the hospital. She came, saw that Jade was asleep... The doctor, uh, the doctor told her mom that he'd sedated Jade pretty heavily, so she probably wouldn't wake for a while...anyway, Jade's mom said it was pointless for her to be here and watch Jade just sleep, then told the doctor to call her when Jade was ready to be discharged..." I know my mom was shaking her head behind me, and she reached down to squeeze my hand again. Jade spoke little of her mom in the past, but it had been enough for me to gather that she wasn't much of a parental figure. I continued to stare at Jade and the heaviness in my chest grew, fueling my desire to reach out and just touch her, to just feel her skin and affirm that she's still Jade.

"I'm going to go tell a nurse you're awake, sweetheart. The doctor's going to want to see you." My mom slipped out of the room and I flopped back on the bed, pulling the thin, white sheet over my head. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, trying to make sense of everything. I had to force myself not to look over at Jade again; the mere thought of the pale-skinned girl, laying there so helplessly, tore away at me in a way I couldn't possibly justify. I breathed in deeply and comforted myself with the thought that it was just the guilt of coming out of the accident virtually unscathed, while Jade lay there, practically in pieces.

"Ms. Vega, glad to see you've joined us."

I whipped the sheet off of my head, exposing my mother and a young, handsome man in a white lab coat. He smiled at me kindly, and walked toward the bed, offering his hand to me.

"I'm Dr. Dann," he told me, shaking my hand and continuing to smile. "You were in quite an accident, there, young lady." He let go of my hand, and I brought it up to my hair, playing with a curl nervously.

"But I'm okay," I asserted, as if he didn't already know. As if he wasn't the one who diagnosed me in the first place. He smiled weakly at me and nodded, letting out a gentle laugh.

"You're very lucky, Tori. You should recover fairly quickly." His eyes were honest and sincere, and I wished they were enough to comfort me. "How are you feeling?"

"Um," I paused, tightly shutting my eyes, and considered the intent behind his question. "My body is a little sore. My head is pounding." He nodded again, and patted my arm caringly.

"The soreness is to be expected. We are a little concerned about your head, though. I'm afraid you may have hit it upon contact, and I like to watch head injuries very closely, so you'll be out of here in a day or so. " I nodded, slightly disappointed that I'd have to stay in the hospital, but mostly because I wanted to figure out the real dirt.

"And Jade?" I muttered, looking over at her seriously injured body.

Dr. Dann signed loudly, and I looked back at him to see a small frown on her face. "Jade is extremely lucky she's alive, honestly. She wasn't wearing her seatbelt," he paused, looking at me as if to congratulate me for wearing mine, but it definitely didn't ease my guilt. "She's suffered some very unfortunate injuries. The black eye was from the impact of the airbag with her sunglasses on-she must have turned to her right-and the bloody arm is from a shard of glass. Four stitches." He said this in such a nonchalant manner, but every word he spoke caused me more and more distress. "And," he repeated, "she wasn't wearing her seat belt."

I shut my eyes tightly, remembering how awful Jade was being to me. But I had seen her get into the car, I saw that she just sat and started the car, and I didn't say a word.

"So when the impact of the crash occurred," Dr. Dann continued solemnly, "she flew forward, and then the airbags were released, slamming her back against the seat." He used his hands to motion what had happened. "And," he sighed, "because of her size, and her position, the way she was thrown around caused four of her ribs to break."

I squeezed my eyes shut, suddenly feeling like I was going to be sick. "Is she going to heal okay?" My voice was childlike again, slipping out from under the sheet I had pulled up to my face.

Dr. Dann walked over to Jade, bending over and placing his stethoscope over her heart. He paused, listening for a moment, then stood straight, hooking the device around his neck. "We originally assumed one of the broken ribs had punctured her left lung; she was unconscious when the paramedics arrived, obviously, but her breathing was very weak," he stopped, pointing to the breathing tube in Jade's mouth, "so they intubated her." Dr. Dann turned around quickly, grabbing some latex gloves from the dispenser on the wall, then put them on as he turned back on, smiling softly.

"But," he continued, "after examining the x-rays, and listening to her breathing, it's safe to say her lungs are unharmed." I let out a deep breath I didn't know I had been holding in, suddenly grateful for my own ability to just simply take a breath.

"So I'm going to remove her breathing tube." Dr. Dann turned to face my mother and I, as if we were Jade's own family and he was filling us in on her situation. "She'll most likely feel it and wake up, but there's a good chance she'll be groggy when does. Try not to overwhelm her. I'm sure you know, Tori, it can be a bit scary when you wake up."

I nodded, understanding and remembering how fearful I'd been when the whiteness first pierced into my eyes, and suddenly I was nervous for Jade. I watched Dr. Dann intently as he began to remove her tube. Jade's eyebrows furrowed, as if she were in pain, and she groaned lightly. Dr. Dann peered over her for a second, once the tube was fully removed, then took a step back. Jade stirred then opened her eyes, blinking twice, then squinting them again, clearly offended by the brightness of the room. I wanted to tell them to turn the damn lights down, that it was too much for someone who'd been through that much trauma, but I was too fixated on Jade's every movement and I sealed my lips tightly.

"The fuck..." Jade muttered, rubbing her eyes before opening them once again.

"Jade," Dr. Dann said, catching her attention. The dark-headed girl slowly turned her head to him, and I could no longer see her eyes.

"Who are you?" She questioned in a voice so innocent that it broke my heart, knowing she was certainly as unaware as I had been when I awoke. But she had no family to comfort her.

"I'm Dr. Dann. You were in a car accident. Do you remember?" Jade didn't say anything for a moment, her body frozen, then eventually she looked at herself-the hospital gown, the band around her wrist, the IV-and at the hospital bed, the room, and eventually me. At first, she just glanced at me briefly, as if I were any other part of the room, but immediately did a double take, staring at me with a look that screamed disbelief and confusion.

"Tori?"

And there was no venom in her voice when she said my name, no glare or sign that she was offended by my presence. She was confused and she was broken and she was alone. I raised a hand meekly and offered her a weak smile.

"What the hell is going on? What's wrong with me?" Jade demanded, turning back to Dr. Dann. "What the hell is this?" Jade's voice was getting louder and she was clearly becoming upset. "Where the fuck is- OW," she hissed, grabbing her ribs then turning flat on her back.

"You're going to be okay, Ms. West," Dr. Dann assured her, placing a hand on her arm to comfort her. "Those are the four broken ribs you're most likely feeling, but they'll heal-"

"Pain meds," Jade spat out, "Now." Dr. Dann, surprised, nodded then quietly left the room. Jade didn't make another sound until he returned, continuing to grip her side and tightly shut her eyes. I wanted to tell her I was sorry, that she would be okay, but I kept my mouth shut and settled on just watching her. It took a few minutes for the doctor to return, but when he did, he explained to Jade that the medication would most likely make her very sleepy again. Jade dismissed his warning with a wave of her hand, watching as the injected the pain killer into her IV. The girl let out a small moan, most likely of relief, then laid back again, seemingly much more comfortable.

It didn't take long for her to drift back to sleep, but the last words that escaped her lips were a feebly uttered, "Where the hell is my mom?"

And that was the first time Jade West broke my heart.


	3. Three

"Do you think she can hear us? Maybe we should tell her a story!"

"She's not in a coma, Cat, she's sleeping." Beck's voice calmly replied, and suddenly I realized the talking around me was not a dream.

"You don't know that," Cat said, her intentions entirely sincere and misinformed, "they look totally the same." Her voice sounded worried, on the verge of tears, and the last thing I wanted to hear was more crying.

"I'm not in a coma," I muttered groggily. My eyes opened slowly, and once again I failed to instantly adjust to the light, blinking awkwardly until I made out the faces of Beck, Cat, Andre, and Robbie peering over me. I glanced to my left, wondering if my mom had allowed the four of them to hang out in my room, then remembered I'd sent the older woman home earlier after realizing she'd been depriving herself of sleep.

"Tori!" Cat exclaimed excitedly, grinning down at me and grabbing my hand. "You're okay! We were so worried about you guys. I wanted to come see you last night, but Beck said we should wait until things settled down. Anyway, everyone at school-"

"Cat," Andre cut her off, chuckling softly, "take a breath." He looked at me apologetically.

"Kay kay!" Cat replied cutely, then breathed in dramatically.

"How are you feeling?" Robbie asked, fidgeting nervously without the security of Rex on his arm. He offered me a small smile, and realizing they must have felt sorry for me, I quickly sat up to appear as unharmed as I was.

"Good!" I chirped, probably too excitedly. Beck looked down at me knowingly, but I pretended not to notice his skepticism. "Just a bump on the head," I affirmed casually, then shrugged as if the whole thing was no big deal. "It's totally dumb that I'm even still here."

"Yeah, well, better safe than sorry, right?" Beck smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. Cat was still grinning at me, and Robbie looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. I was appreciative of their kindness; I knew I was lucky to have such caring friends, but I hated the attention they were giving me-knowing they felt sorry for me-and I looked over at Jade's sleeping form, feeling totally undeserving of their pity. The four other teens followed my line of sight, and if I would've taken my eyes of the raven-haired girl, I'm sure I would've seen the shocked looks on their faces.

"Jade!" Cat exclaimed, bouncing over to the other girl.

"Cat," I spoke, "let her sleep." I was shocked by the sudden protectiveness I felt for the dark haired girl, but I knew she needed her rest. "She's way worse off than I am. She needs her sleep."

"Oh." Cat frowned solemnly. I didn't mean to snap at her, and I hated seeing the red-haired girl be anything but her bubbly self. They all looked at me strangely, and I immediately felt silly for saying anything at all. It wasn't as if Jade and I had a close relationship, or any really relationship at all, and my friends were very familiar with our frequent quarrels.

"Sorry," I smiled weakly, "she's just been in a lot of pain when she's awake."

"What's wrong with her?" Robbie asked, rubbing his elbow and blinking awkwardly. He looked back over at Jade, stopping for a moment to inspect the bandage on her arm.

"Broken ribs. Four of them." Andre frowned and shook his head, Beck grimaced appropriately, and Cat gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Everything else is pretty minor. But the doctor says she'll fully recover as long as she gives her all in rehab."

"They have rehab just for being a mean?" Cat asked innocently, and the room flooded with warm chuckles.

"I think Tori meant rehab for her injuries," Robbie said, but he did so without talking down to the redhead or trying to make her feel stupid. We all loved Cat and accepted her for who she was, and trying to change her would be pointless. "If she has broken ribs, it's going to be hard for her to move around for a while." Cat let out a simple 'oh' and the lanky boy smiled at me, one eye winking through his thick-rimmed glasses.

They stayed for an hour or so-asking me details about the crash and then promptly trying to take my mind off of it-and joked around, telling me the latest of Sikowit's antics, how Trina had worn black to school and was using my accident to get attention, and mostly just let me know they cared. Once I'd gotten more comfortable and started to feel like just another one in the group, and not the subject of their pity, I loosened up, joking along them and letting my guilt go for a moment. When Andre announced that he had to get home-something about taking his grandma to get her ointment-the four talented teens hugged me goodbye, giving one last glance in Jade's direction as they exited.

I awoke a few hours later, unaware that I had even fallen asleep, by the noise of a middle-aged woman bringing me a tray of food. The cold mashed potatoes and green jello looked less than appealing, and the lady giggled, assuring me that Sunday's meals would be much better. I set the tray to the side of my bed and turned on the small television in the corner of the room, surfing through the channels over and over, then sighed in frustrated, throwing the remote at the end of the bed. I was bored. Insanely bored. I had texted my family after my friends had left, letting them know they didn't need to come back up to the hospital tonight, but I was starting to wish I'd welcomed their visit.

A small murmur snapped me out of my boredom, and I looked over at Jade to see her tossing her head in her sleep. She'd barely been awake at all that day, only slipping out of unconsciousness briefly before screaming for more Morphine. I was certain the doctor and nurses were frightened of her, because they always promptly complied with her demands. Jade let out another groan, and I quickly found myself sliding out of bed, grabbing onto my IV cart, and lethargically stumbling over to her bedside. I gently sat myself down on the chair next to her, letting out a grunt of my own. I watched her intently: the way the lips were parted, the way her chest would gently rise and fall with each breath, how her eyes would scrunch up with each pained moan she let out in her sleep, and I reached over to put my hand over hers. It was a strange feeling, knowing if it were any other circumstance, I wouldn't dare attempt to even get too close to Jade without her permission, but I kept my hand on hers anyway. Jade and I had always had a strained relationship; she'd resented me from the moment I walked into Hollywood Arts and, consequently, had given me a hard time every second since. But deep down I knew Jade didn't truly hate me. There were too many instances that told me otherwise, like when she came to me, heartbroken, after she'd broken up with Beck, and when she attempted to help me clean up a staged food fight after she'd gotten me in trouble. And of course, with my forgiving nature and innate ability to see the good in everyone, I didn't hate Jade either. Not even close. I admired her a lot, actually, because she was ridiculously talented and even more so confident, and I often wished I could be equally honest and assertive.

Jade stirred again, this time letting out a string of indecipherable sounds, then slowly opened her eyes in the same fashion I had just a bit earlier. She blinked, then looked at me, down at my hand on hers, then up at my face again.

"Vega?" Her voice sounded pained, and she let out a millionth groan. I just smiled softly. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

And my hand shot off her and down at my side, cheeks red and warm, mumbling a half-hearted apology. "I was just bored," I said honestly. "You were making a lot of noise in your sleep, and...," I paused, shrugging, "I don't know. I felt bad."

"Hah!" Jade scoffed loudly. "You feel bad, Tori?" Her voice was angry, suddenly wide awake, and her blue eyes squinted intimidatingly at me. "It's _your_ fucking fault that I'm even here right now!"

The wave of emotions that hit me at that moment, intensely rollercoaster-esque, left a knot in my throat and an ache in my chest. Anger, disbelief, fury, swiftly followed by a sinking realization, self-contempt, and unequivocal guilt. It was my fault. I had begged Jade to give me a ride. She said no, and I continued to bother her about it. I could've walked the twelve miles. I would've, if it meant she wouldn't have ended up there, in the hospital bed, bruised and broken. I knew it was irrefutably indirectly my fault, and though I wasn't that man in the red truck distracted by a text message, my actions had caused a delay in Jade's trip home. My actions had led her to the site of the crash at that specific time. Eyes stinging with tears, I forced myself to look away from the angry girl laying next to me. I attempted to choke out an apology, but all that came out was a pitiful squeak, a weightless product of the pain in the pit of my stomach, and blinked out a tear as I used my my IV stand to hoist myself up.

"Tori," Jade sighed solemnly, and when I turned back to her, wiping at my cheeks, her infuriated grimace morphed into a concerned frown.

"I'm so sorry, Jade." I sobbed, then sucked in a deep breath of air to keep myself from breaking down. Jade sighed again and shook her again.

"No, Tori," she said, still looking at me worriedly, "it's...," she hesitated. "I'm sorry." Her eyebrows furrowed and she pursed her lips. "It's not your fault. It happened. Shit happens sometimes." She reached out her hand, and as I took it I finally broke down, surprised by her change of heart and overwhelmed by my own guilt.

"Vega, stop. Come on," she pleaded, "stop crying."

"But," I gasped, "it _is_ my fault." I tried to catch my breath awkwardly in between spitting out each word. "I made you give me a ride." Gasp. "I...it's my fault you didn't see the car." Gasp.

"It was a freak accident. That asshole was texting and ran a red light. That's not your fault," Jade assured me, squeezing my hand. Her kindness was uncharacteristic, but I guessed even Jade West had her weak spots. I guessed hysterical teenage girls were one of hers. I wiped at my tears again with the back of my other hand, the hand not being lightly stroked by the thumb of the raven-haired girl, and I nodded unconvincingly.

"I'm still sorry," I managed to get out, taking a deep breath and finally calming myself down.

"It's okay," Jade said sincerely. "Come on, better me than you," she teased. "At least I can take it. You'd probably be whining for a decade." She gave my hand another squeeze to let me know she was joking, and I looked up at her and offered a weak smile. "Plus, I look like a bad bitch with this black eye."

"Oh, totally," I said sarcastically, using my arm to wipe my nose. Her eyes narrowed at me, letting go of my hand, and if she hadn't just been comforting me, I would've been certain she was about to tell me off.

"Whatever," she said flippantly, throwing an arm over her eyes. "Where's the damn nurse? I want my meds."

"Aren't you tired of sleeping?" I asked, more for me than her. I knew_ I_ was tired of watching her sleep. Even this bizarre interaction with her was better than laying awake, staring at the ceiling. Or her.

She moved her hands to her head, annoyed and exasperated, then tangled her fingers through her hair. "I'm in fucking pain, _Tori_," she said, emphasizing my name condescendingly. "Why are you even still here? You're completely fine."

I stood, annoyed, and began to walk back towards my own bed. "Don't worry, you'll be glad to know I'll be out of your hair tomorrow. And you can be all alone, just like you like it."

"Whatever," Jade repeated, but there was a hint of sadness in the way she said it. The ache in my chest came knocking again, realizing her mom had yet to return to visit the injured girl, and that she would be totally alone when I left. "I'm the best company I could ask for anyway."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure there's just a universe of smiles up there," I said, pointing my finger at her forehead. "Must be why you want to sleep so much."

"It's better than waking up to your fucking puppy dog eyes staring down at me," Jade spat, glaring at me from across the room.

"I could think of worse things for you to look at!" I threw my hands up in the air dramatically, for a moment forgetting that I was still connected to the IV. Jade laughed at me.

"You're so ridiculous," she groaned. "You haven't showered in days." Embarrassed and frustrated, I let out an 'ugh!'

"You," I exclaimed, point at her once again, "are so full of it."

Jade raised an eyebrow at me and smirked, clearly amused that she was pushing my buttons. Amused that she was getting under my skin. "Full of what, Tori?" she dared. It was stupid that I even fell for it, but I was so fed up with Jade treating me like a walking punchline that I fell write into her trap.

"Shit!" The word spilled out of me awkwardly, and in hindsight I might even admit hilariously, but I immediately cringed at my own ridiculousness.

"Shit!" Jade mimicked, exaggerating my voice in the thick, southern accent she used to impersonate me.

"I don't sound like that!" I cried out, which Jade quickly mimicked in the same voice. "You know, you're just really mean sometimes," I declared angrily, and then attempted to glare at the other girl so she knew I meant it. Jade just stared back at me, smirking, but I continued to keep my stern face, stressing my lack of amusement and forbidding her from doing it again. The morbid girl continued to smirk back at me, the corners of her lips slowly raising in into a full blown smile. And then,

"You know, you're just really mean sometimes!" Her laughter engulfed the room like light in the darkness, the giggles escaping her body without permission, unable to deny the absurd impersonation the appreciation it deserved. And as the laughter bellowed out of her, filling the air around me, I watched as she held her ribs and was charmed by how drastically different Jade looked with a smile painted on her face, finding the corners of my own lips growing into a grin and allowing laughter to escape my small form.

We spent the next twenty or so minutes laying in our respective beds, laughing until one of us would settle down, only to erupt once again at the sound of the other's chuckle, before we finally faced each other as we retired to lay on our sides, letting out a mutual, satisfied sigh, and offering each other a peaceful smile.

/

_Hey everyone! Just for the record, I really appreciate any and all feedback that you've been giving me. I have this whole story pretty much planned out, but I'm the kind of person who gets discouraged or loses interest easily, so knowing others are really enjoying this will definitely help keep me going. Anyway, a few people have commented on keeping the girls in character/taking my time with the progression of their relationship, and realism is definitely something I strive for. I don't think that, characteristically speaking Jade and Tori would be the type to jump into something with each other, and I hope to portray a believable path into romance._

_Enjoy!_


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